Authentication reader and a dispenser comprising the authentication reader

ABSTRACT

An authentication reader and a dispenser comprising the authentication reader for authenticating a product having a taggant ink disposed on the product&#39;s surface.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/453,789, filed Mar. 8, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/122,671, filed 12 Mar. 2014 (now U.S.Pat. No. 9,642,501), which is a U.S. National Stage of InternationalApplication No. PCT/GB2012/051186, filed 25 May 2012, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/490,691, filed 27May 2011, and GB 1118109.6, filed 20 Oct. 2011, and this application isa continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/880,079,filed Oct. 9, 2015, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/062,425 filed Oct. 10, 2014, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety and for all purposes.

FIELD

The present invention is directed to an authenticating apparatus, systemand a method for authentication of an object or product.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing a product.

In particular, it relates to a dispenser of the kind having a base unitcontaining a dispensing mechanism and a refill which is removablyinsertable into the base. In some embodiments, a refill takes the formof a product container such as a coffee brewing cup.

Such dispensers can be used, for example, for dispensing fluids. Thesemay be liquid soaps and the like, or may be used to dispense fluid foodstuff such as coffee or sauces with a mustard or ketchup-likeconsistency. They may also be aerosol type dispensers for dispensing airfreshener and the like, or dispensers for solid objects such as tabs,lozenges or wipes.

With such dispensers, there is a general desire to authenticate therefill which is placed in the dispenser in order to maintain qualitycontrol, and for safety reasons, to prevent dispensing a sub-standard orhazardous product.

Systems and methods have been employed to prevent or reducecounterfeiting, infringement and the parallel importing of objects andproducts carrying a valuable piece of intellectual property, such as acompany name, logo, image, brand, copyright or trademark.

Most systems and methods contain one or more protection features in theform of security or authentication measures classified into three typesof object or product authenticity protection, each offering a differentlevel of security. These are referred to in the security industry as a“Level 1” (readable by an ordinary citizen), Level 2” (machine-readablewith immediate response) and “Level 3” (machine readable with dedicatedtools where the response is not readily obtainable in real time, orother forensic means) security measures.

A Level 1 security measure involves the use of features that can berecognized overtly, e.g. by sight or touch by an end user of the objector product. Such features include holograms and markings by opticallyvariable ink. In the case of a hologram, one is looking for a speciallydesigned holographic pattern and in the case of an optically variableink, the marked pattern shows different colors when viewed at differentangles.

A Level 2 security measure involves the use of covert or semi-covertfeatures that require interrogation by a simple and easily obtainabledetection device. Examples include printed sectors in banknotes bearingfluorescent marks made from inks containing downconverter andupconverter taggants. In this case, one only needs an ultraviolet orinfra-red laser interrogation source for verification of an object orproduct having the ink applied. When light in an appropriate waveband isilluminated onto the ink containing taggant, due to the taggant, the inkwill emit visible light, which can be observed readily by the naked-eye.Alternatively, the ink may, due to the taggant, emit radiation of awavelength invisible to the naked-eye, but readable and verifiable by asuitable reader.

Finally, a Level 3 security measure involves the use features that aregenerally known only to the brand or currency manufacturer of an objector product and can be verified, usually not in real time, by dedicatedinterrogation tools that cannot be readily obtained commercially in themarketplace.

US 2010/0149531 is directed to a Level 2 authentication measure anddescribes an authentication method for an object or product containingan image, where the image contains or forms part of a taggant used in acoded readable security feature. The coded readable feature is subjectto an authentication process that identifies and verifies the object orproduct. However, because the taggant represents the only source of theidentification and authentication security feature, and given that themachine readable security feature of the image is coded, it thereforedoes not contain or form part of an intellectual property protectedfeature. As a result, a counterfeiter would find it relatively easy tointroduce counterfeit or infringing objects or products containing orusing the coded image into the commercial stream where such objects andproducts are marketed and sold. For example, a counterfeiter couldevaluate and ultimately determine how to identify, source and formulatethe taggant, reproduce the coded security feature of the image and applyit to a copied or counterfeit object or product, then introduce suchobject or product into the commercial stream.

Alternatively, a counterfeiter could evaluate and ultimately determinehow to decode and reprogram the authenticating reader used to read theexisting coded security feature of the image containing or forming partof the taggant so that it reads the counterfeiter's coded image. Byadopting either or both of these approaches, a counterfeiter couldsuccessfully circumvent the authentication process or measures beingused by the owner or marketer of the object or product without havinginfringed any intellectual property right of the owner or marketer inthe object or product.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,403,223 is also directed to a Level 2 security measureand describes an authentication method for textiles containing twoinvisible designs having readable features and used to identify,authenticate and track textiles. However, again given that the invisibledesigns themselves are not, nor do they contain any, intellectualproperty protected features, the invisible designs serve as the onlysecurity feature for identifying and authenticating the textiles. As aresult, a counterfeiter would again, find it relatively easy tointroduce counterfeit, copied textiles into the commercial streamwithout having infringed any intellectual property right of the owner ormarketer in the textiles.

As for one way of authenticating refills, such as dispenser productcontainers, is to use a magnet on the refill which is brought intoproximity with a reed switch on the base in order to complete a circuit.This is disclosed in EP 1824760. This idea provides a simple andcost-effective authentication system. However, it is easy for anon-authorised refill to be produced simply by providing a magnet at thecorrect location. Further, the system lacks versatility as the base canonly ever detect one type of refill. It cannot be configured to detectdifferent refills in different products.

A further known method of authentication is disclosed in EP 1 671 568and uses an electronic key, such as an RFID tag. Such tags can beprogrammed with a unique identifier. The base is then provided withcontrol circuitry which reads the RFID tag and, if it detects that thetag with an authorised code is present, it will allow the dispensingmechanism to operate to dispense liquid. If no such tag is identified,it will prevent operation of the dispensing mechanism. Although suchsystems are commonly used, they are relatively expensive in that theyrequire each refill to be provided with an RFID tag. In a low-costsystem, where every penny which can be shaved off the cost of the refillis critical, this expense can be significant.

Also known in the art are optical systems, such as that disclosed in WO1996/036556. This is based on bar-code technology and uses a scanninglight which scans the barcode to check that the container is authentic,and to obtain information about the nature of the product in the refillwhich has a bearing on the subsequent operation of the dispenser.

Such devices have a number of drawbacks. The requirement for a bar-codeon the refill means that a relatively large area of the product must betaken up with the bar-code which detracts from the appearance of therefill. Also, the physical size of the bar-code, together with the spacerequired for the scanner which detects the bar-code means that the spacerequired for such a system is relatively large. Also, the fact that abar-code is readily visible in normal use means that it can readily becopied onto an unauthorised product.

Given the size and complexity of such a system, this has generally onlybeen used in relatively large-scale mains-powered machines such asbeverage dispensers. As far as we are aware, this has not been used on asmaller scale dispenser, for example, one which is capable of beingbattery-powered.

WO 2009/086120 discloses a sensor for dispensing sheets of material. Ithas an authentication reader which reads a mark on the roll as it isdispensed from the dispenser. If it fails to recognise an authenticationmark, it determines 30 that the refill is unauthorised and dispenses itat a faster rate. The idea is to deter the use of unauthorised productby ensuring that this is used up at a faster rate. This documentdiscloses a non-exhaustive list of suitable sensors which includebarcodes, RFID tags, fluorescent or phosphorescence inks, conductiveparticles, fibers, metals, tick marks or ridges. Similarly, JP2004/237489 discloses a roll of thermal paper that is provided with anink based authentication mark which may be fluorescent or luminescent.In both cases, the dispensers require the roll of material to be movedpast the sensor in order to allow the sensor to read the authenticationmark. As such, the mark must be continuous or repeat frequently alongthe length of the material. Both devices are relatively large scalemains powered devices that again require some relative movement in orderto function.

Embodiments described herein aim to provide a cost-effectiveauthentication system suitable for use with relatively small-scale,low-cost dispensers.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the invention provides a dispenser for dispensing aproduct, the dispenser comprising a base unit containing a dispensingmechanism for dispensing the product; a refill containing the productand being removably insertable into the base in a fixed position inwhich the product can be dispensed by the dispensing mechanism, therefill having a taggant ink on part of its external surface; the basebeing provided with a non-scanning light source positioned to illuminatethe ink when the refill is inserted into the base in the correctorientation, the light source having a first wavelength and the inkbeing arranged to cause the ink to emit light at a second differentwavelength; a sensor to receive light emitted by the ink uponillumination by the light source; and a control circuit to receive asignal indicative of the wavelength of the detected light from thesensor, compare it with stored data to determine whether the shift inwavelength of the detected light caused by the ink indicates that therefill is authentic, and prevent operation of the dispensing mechanismunless the refill is authentic.

In one embodiment, the product is a fluid.

In another embodiment, more than one ink is printed on part of theexternal surface of the refill.

In yet another embodiment, the refill has an outlet at its lower end andthe ink is printed on the lower end of the refill.

In one embodiment, the ink is a two-part cross-linked formulation.

In a related aspect, the invention provides a refill for a dispenser fordispensing a product, the refill containing product and being removablyinsertable into a base in a fixed position in which the product can bedispensed by the dispensing mechanism, the refill having a tagged sensorink on part of its external surface.

In some embodiments, the refill can contain a fluid or a product such ascoffee through which a fluid such as water may flow to dispense thecoffee.

In another embodiment, the ink is a two-part cross-linked formulation.

In yet another embodiment, the ink is applied by an inkjet printingprocess. In a different embodiment, the ink is applied by a pad orscreen printing process. In another embodiment, the ink is on a labelwhich is stuck to the refill.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of dispensing aproduct from the dispenser as described herein, the method comprising:inserting the refill into the base unit; illuminating the light; sensingthe light received from the ink; comparing the detected light withstored data to determine whether the shift in wavelength of the detectedlight caused by the ink indicates that the refill is authentic; andallowing operation of the dispensing mechanism if the refill isauthentic.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a base unit for adispenser for dispensing a product, the base unit containing adispensing mechanism for dispensing the product; a means for removablyreceiving a refill in a fixed position in which the product can bedispensed by the dispensing mechanism, the refill having a taggant inkon part of its external surface; the base being provided with anon-scanning light source positioned to illuminate the ink when therefill is inserted into the base in the correct orientation, the lightsource having a first wavelength and the ink being arranged to emitlight at a second different wavelength; a sensor to receive lightemitted by the ink upon illumination by the light source; and a controlcircuit to receive a signal indicative of the wavelength of the detectedlight from the sensor, compare it with stored data to determine whetherthe shift in wavelength of the detected light caused by the inkindicates that the refill is authentic, and prevent operation of thedispensing mechanism unless the refill is authentic.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a secure glyphcomprising:

-   -   a) an intellectual property protected feature; and    -   b) a machine readable feature having an overt and/or a covert        portion;        wherein said intellectual property protected feature is either        recognized alone as a machine readable feature, or recognized in        combination with at least a portion of the machine readable        feature, by an authenticating apparatus to determine        authenticity.

Furthermore the present invention also provides an object or productwith a secure glyph thereon and a method of producing same comprisingproviding an object or product and affixing or attaching thereto,printing or coating thereon and/or incorporating therein a secure glyphas herein described above.

The present invention also provides an authenticating apparatus fordetermining the authenticity of an object or product having a secureglyph thereon comprising:

-   -   a) a database containing associated data corresponding to a        signal response from an intellectual property protected feature        alone, or combination with a machine readable feature and    -   b) an authentication reader having:        -   i) a signal generator capable of generating a signal            response from an intellectual property protected feature            alone or in combination with a machine readable feature on            the secure glyph;        -   ii) a signal response detector capable of receiving the            signal response from the intellectual property protected            feature alone, or in combination with the machine readable            feature; and        -   iii) a signal processing unit (SPU) for comparing the signal            response from the detector and the relevant associated data            in the database.

The present invention also provides a device with an authenticatingapparatus associated therewith, or incorporated therein, for use incombination with an authenticated object or product.

Furthermore, the present invention also provides a process formanufacturing a device with an authenticating apparatus associatedtherewith, or incorporated therein, for use in combination with anauthenticated object or product, wherein the process comprisesincorporating the authentication apparatus into the device.

Additionally the present invention provides a method for allowing anobject or product having a secure glyph to be accepted and used for aspecific intended purpose in a device, the secure glyph comprising:

-   -   a) an intellectual property protected feature; and    -   b) a machine readable feature;    -   c) wherein said method comprises:        -   i) using an authenticating apparatus connected to the device            to detect and recognize the intellectual property protected            feature alone, or in combination with at least a portion of            the machine readable feature of the secure glyph on the            object or product; and        -   ii) allowing the intended use of the object or product in            the device.

The present invention also provides a system for allowing a firstarticle to be used in combination with a second article comprising:

-   -   a) authenticating the first article having a glyph according to        the present invention thereon by detecting a characteristic        feature of the glyph with a detector;    -   b) allowing the first article to be used in combination with the        second article.

Finally, the present invention provides an authentication method fordetermining the authenticity of an object or product wherein a secureglyph for determining authenticity has been affixed or attached thereto,printed or coated thereon and/or incorporated therein, the secure glyphhaving

-   -   an intellectual property protected feature; and    -   a machine readable feature having a covert and/or overt portion;        wherein said intellectual property protected feature is        recognized either alone as a machine readable feature; or        recognized in combination with at least a portion being a        machine readable feature; by an authenticating apparatus to        determine authenticity;    -   the method comprising    -   subjecting the object or product to an authenticating apparatus        having:        -   (i) a database containing associated data corresponding to a            signal response from an intellectual property protected            feature alone, or combination with a machine readable            feature; and        -   (ii) an authentication reader having: a signal generator            capable of generating a signal response from an intellectual            property protected feature alone or in combination with the            machine readable feature on the secure glyph; a signal            response detector capable of receiving the signal response            from the intellectual property protected feature alone, or            in combination with the machine readable feature; and        -    a signal processing unit (SPU) for comparing the signal            response from the detector and the relevant associated data            in the database; and    -   acknowledging and using the output from the authentication        reader.

The present invention also provides an authenticating apparatus fordetermining the authenticity of an object or product having a secureglyph thereon comprising:

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention willbecome apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reading thedetails of the methods and as more fully described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-section through the Dettol® NoTouch® product; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the authentication mechanism of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of an authentication apparatus according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a spectral curve with an analog signal converted todiscrete digital values.

FIG. 5 shows a typical object or product authentication work flowaccording to a particular embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates the spectral range to scan in order to identify aspecific taggant material. In this illustration there are 2 taggants onescanning from WL1 to WL2 to read taggant 1 and one from WL3 to WL4 toread taggant 2.

FIG. 7 illustrates a secure glyph with 4-fold rotational symmetry andfour readers to identify the geometric design, its position and othergraphics of the secure glyph.

FIG. 8 illustrates a secure glyph with 4-fold rotational symmetry andfour readers in which the secure glyph has been rotated to a positionwhere the readers cannot detect the geometric design, position and othergraphics of the secure glyph.

FIG. 9 illustrates a secure glyph with 6-fold rotational symmetry andthree readers in which the geometric design, position and other graphicsof the secure glyph are fully identified by the readers.

FIG. 10 illustrates a secure glyph with 6-fold rotational symmetry andthree readers in which the geometric design, position and other graphicsof the secure glyph are fully identified by the readers, even though theorientation is not the same as that in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 shows a secure glyph having four colored areas and fourcolor-selective readers. The signal response for each reader isproportional to the area of the secure glyph of a specified color, whenthe glyph is interrogated with four separate wavelengths of light andread by a reader, camera, spectrophotometer or the like capable ofdistinguishing those four wavelengths of light.

FIG. 12 shows a secure glyph having four colored areas and fourcolor-selective readers. The signal response for this secure glyph, andthus the presence or absence of any rotational symmetry of this secureglyph (that is to say, does it appear as a single square of fourfoldrotational symmetry or as four conjoined squares of no rotationalsymmetry) may be different depending upon which wavelength(s) of lightare used to interrogate the secure glyph.

FIG. 13 illustrates a trademark glyph having three functionalities: (1)trademark function (its shape), (2) an RFID antenna function, and (3) asecure glyph function for authenticating an object or product accordingto the authentication system and method of the present invention.

FIG. 14 shows a trademark glyph having various printed colors thereinspecified by known color specification systems and formed from twodifferent printing ink formulations where at least one printing inkformulation contains a machine readable covert taggant to be read by anauthentication reader.

FIG. 15 shows the spectral reflectance factors for two principal colorsof the printing ink formulations used to print the trademark glyph ofFIG. 14.

FIG. 16 shows the spectral reflectance factors for two principal colorsof the printing ink formulations containing a low concentration ofmethylene blue as the covert machine readable taggant used to print thetrademark glyph of FIG. 14.

FIG. 17 shows the different emission intensities of a diode laser usedto excite the methylene blue machine readable down converter taggantpresent in the colored portions of the trademark glyph of FIG. 14, alongwith two different printed film layer thicknesses for the printing inkformulations containing the taggant.

FIG. 18 shows a Level 1 security measure trademark glyph, printed with aconventional printing ink formulation. The trademark glyph is visible tothe human eye and machine readable with an optical character reader or acamera used as the authenticating apparatus.

FIG. 19 shows a printed trademark glyph where the machine readablefeatures is a printing ink formulation containing a taggant to be readby an authentication reader.

FIG. 20 shows a printed trademark glyph where the machine readablefeatures is a printing ink formulation containing a taggant to be readby an authentication reader.

FIG. 21 shows a printed trademark glyph where the intellectual propertyprotected feature is recognized as a combination of a conventionalprinting ink and a machine readable printing ink formulation containinga taggant to be read by an authentication reader.

FIG. 22 shows a printed trademark glyph where the machine readablefeatures are printing ink formulations containing different taggants tobe read by an authentication reader.

FIG. 23 shows another version of the printed trademark glyph in FIG. 21where the intellectual property protected feature is recognized as acombination of a conventional printing ink and a machine readableprinting ink formulation containing a taggant to be read by anauthentication reader.

FIG. 24 shows yet another version of the printed trademark glyph in FIG.21 where the intellectual property protected feature is recognized as acombination of a conventional printing ink and a machine readableprinting ink formulation containing a taggant to be read by anauthentication reader.

FIG. 25 shows a printed trademark glyph where the machine readablefeature is a printing ink formulation containing a taggant with ataggant ink overlay.

FIG. 26 shows a printed trademark glyph where the machine readablefeature is a printing ink formulation containing a taggant with ataggant ink overlay.

FIG. 27 represents a trademark printed by prior art techniques. Morespecifically, a trademark (i.e. an intellectual property feature) isprinted with a conventional printing ink formulation where a machinereadable overlay coating (eg containing a taggant) is subsequentlyapplied. Therefore, the trademark itself is not printed such that it iscapable of being recognized alone as a machine readable feature. Anauthenticating apparatus could not be used to authenticate the trademarksince any machine read by the apparatus of the machine readable featurein the overlay and would not, in any way, be associated with theintellectual property protected feature.

FIG. 28 represents a secure glyph where the intellectual propertyprotected feature is comprised of two distinct machine readablefeatures: (1) a conventional printing ink overlaid with an inkcontaining a taggant; and (2) an ink overlay containing a taggant. Theintellectual property protected feature would be recognized via acombination of the two machine readable features upon interrogation byan authenticating apparatus.

FIG. 29 represents a secure glyph where the intellectual propertyprotected feature is comprised of three distinct machine readablefeatures: (1) a conventional printing ink overlaid with an inkcontaining a taggant; (2) a combination of two taggant inks used torepresent a portion of the intellectual property feature of the secureglyph; and (3) an ink overlay containing a taggant. The intellectualproperty protected feature would be recognized via a combination of thethree machine readable features upon interrogation by an authenticatingapparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As specified in the Background Section, there is a great need in the artto identify technologies for cost-effective authentication systems anduse this understanding to develop novel small-scale, low-cost dispensingdevices.

To facilitate an understanding of the principles and features of thevarious embodiments of the invention, various illustrative embodimentsare explained below. Although exemplary embodiments of the invention areexplained in detail, it is to be understood that other embodiments arecontemplated. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention islimited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description or examples. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orcarried out in various ways. Also, in describing the exemplaryembodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake ofclarity.

It must also be noted that, as used in the specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include pluralreferences unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example,reference to a component is intended also to include composition of aplurality of components. References to a composition containing “a”constituent is intended to include other constituents in addition to theone named. In other words, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” do not denotea limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of “at leastone” of the referenced item.

Throughout this description, various components may be identified havingspecific values or parameters, however, these items are provided asexemplary embodiments. Indeed, the exemplary embodiments do not limitthe various aspects and concepts of the present invention as manycomparable parameters, sizes, ranges, and/or values may be implemented.The terms “first,” “second,” and the like, “primary,” “secondary,” andthe like, do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but ratherare used to distinguish one element from another.

It is noted that terms like “specifically,” “preferably,” “typically,”“generally,” and “often” are not utilized herein to limit the scope ofthe claimed invention or to imply that certain features are critical,essential, or even important to the structure or function of the claimedinvention. Rather, these terms are merely intended to highlightalternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in aparticular embodiment of the present invention. It is also noted thatterms like “substantially” and “about” are utilized herein to representthe inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to anyquantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation.

It is also to be understood that the mention of one or more method stepsdoes not preclude the presence of additional method steps or interveningmethod steps between those steps expressly identified. Similarly, it isalso to be understood that the mention of one or more components in acomposition does not preclude the presence of additional components thanthose expressly identified.

Further, in describing the exemplary embodiments, terminology will beresorted to for the sake of clarity. It is intended that each termcontemplates its broadest meaning as understood by those skilled in theart and includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similarmanner to accomplish a similar purpose.

According to the present invention, there is provided a dispenser fordispensing a product, the dispenser comprising a base unit containing adispensing mechanism for dispensing the product; a refill containing theproduct and being removably insertable into the base in a fixed positionin which the product can be dispensed by the dispensing mechanism, therefill having a taggant ink on part of its external surface; the basebeing provided with a light source positioned to illuminate the ink whenthe refill is inserted into the base in the correct orientation, thelight source having a first wavelength and the ink being arranged tocause the ink to emit light at a second different wavelength; a sensorto receive light emitted by the ink upon illumination by the lightsource; and a control circuit to receive a signal indicative of thewavelength of the detected light from the sensor, compare it with storeddata to determine whether the shift in wavelength of the detected lightcaused by the ink indicates that the refill is authentic, and preventoperation of the dispensing mechanism unless the refill is authentic.

The present invention provides a number of advantages over the knownauthentication systems.

It is far more secure than a magnet based system or barcode as thetaggant inks are impossible, in practice, to copy. This taggant ink alsoprovides for greater security than the inks mentioned in WO 2009/086120and JP 2004/237489.

The present invention also provides a very low-cost solution,particularly in relation to the refill pack. Given the fixed nature ofthe refill in the base, only a very small amount of ink is needed.Estimates suggest that the cost of adding a taggant ink to the refill issome 20% of the cost of including an RFID tag. Also, the light sourceand sensor are relatively cheap as there is no requirement for ascanning source as there is for example, for a barcode system.

The present invention also provides versatility in that different inkscan be printed on refills containing different substances and thecontrol circuit can be programmed to detect these different inks and, ifnecessary, operate the dispensing mechanism differently for thedifferent liquids.

The taggant, also known as a tagged sensor ink, is a high security inkavailable, for example, from Sun Chemical Security, Gans Ink or FlintGroup.

With such an ink, the ink provider also provides the sensor and controlcircuitry to detect specific characteristic signal emitted by the ink.Such inks are known in high security applications such as documentauthentication.

The present invention also extends to a refill for a dispenser fordispensing a product, the refill containing product and being removablyinsertable into a base in a position in which the product can bedispensed by the dispensing mechanism, the refill having a taggant inkon part of its external surface.

The invention also extends to the base unit, per se, and to a method ofusing the dispenser.

The refill will generally have a non-absorbent surface as it will bemade of a material such as plastics or metal. The ink must be securelyattached to the reservoir as, if it is accidentally scraped or knockedoff when the user inserts the refill into the dispenser. The refill willnot work which will be highly irritating.

Therefore, preferably, the ink is a two-part cross-linked epoxyformulation. This has high adhesion properties. This is preferablyapplied by a pad or screen printing process. It may be a combination ofa cross-linked pad print and a flexo solvent formula. Alternatively, theink is applied by an ink jet printing process. The ink may be cured withUV light. As a further alternative, the ink may be on a label which isstuck to the refill, or applied using an in-mould technique.

One particular application for the present invention is Dettol®No-Touch® dispenser. In such a dispenser, the refill has an outlet atits lower end and is arranged to be inserted with the outlet lowermostinto the base. In such a refill, the ink can be printed on the sidesurface of the lid surface of the refill. However, preferably, the inkis printed on the lowermost surface of the refill. This means that theoptical light source and sensor can be positioned where the least amountof ambient light is able to penetrate.

An example of a dispenser and refill in accordance with the presentinvention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-section through the Dettol® NoTouch® product; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the authentication mechanism of thepresent invention.

While the invention is being described with relation to a particularproduct, it will be appreciated that it may be used for any dispenser inwhich a refill is removably insertable into a base. It may, for example,be battery-powered or mains powered. It may be free-standing, built-into a wall or other surround, or be hand-held.

In another example, the product container is a beverage dispensing cupthat is inserted into a beverage dispensing machine or brewer. Thetaggant on the beverage dispensing cup is then subjected interrogationby an authentication apparatus incorporated within the machine.

Upon interrogation, the beverage dispensing cup is subjected toidentification and authentication by the machine reader and the processof using the beverage dispensing cup either continues or is halted basedon the results of the authentication for the taggant appearing on thelid of the beverage dispensing cup.

Upon authorization of the taggant, the beverage dispenser continues itsoperation and a beverage is brewed and dispensed.

At the point where the authentication occurs and is verified, the readermay cause a trademark, logo or message to appear on the display screenof the dispensing machine, and additionally a message such as ‘ENJOYYOUR GENUINE BREW” or “AUTHENTICALLY BREWED” is also displayed.

The trademark, logo or message continues to appear on the machine'sdisplay screen throughout the brewing and dispensing process untilcompletion. The spent brewing cup may then be taken to a secondauthentication center, where, upon presentation of said spent cup to asecond reader, a rebate or prize may be offered to the holder of thespent cup. Upon non-verification of the taggant, the dispensing machinedoes not brew or dispense a beverage and a message appears on thedisplay screen notifying the user. The unused counterfeit beveragedispensing cup is then either deposited in a repository, or otherwiseheld or rejected.

The dispenser of FIG. 1 is a hands-free dispenser which is generallysuitable for domestic use. The dispenser is primarily intended todispense liquid soap, but may also be used to dispense other liquid orsemi-liquid products (ideally with a viscosity greater than water), suchas hand cream, body lotion, moisturiser, face cream, shampoo, showergel, foaming hand wash, shaving cream, washing up liquid, toothpaste,acne treatment cream, lubricant, a surface cleaner or a sanitising agentsuch as alcohol gel.

The dispenser comprises two main parts, namely a refill 1 and a baseunit 2. The refill 1 provides a reservoir of liquid to be dispensed andis fitted to the base unit 2 as set out below.

The base has an interface 3 into which liquid is dispensed from therefill unit. The interface 3 is in fluid communication with a dispensingtube 4. A pump 5 is selectively operable to pump a metered dose of theliquid along dispensing tube 4 and out of dispensing head 6.

The base has an infrared transmitter 7A which transmits an infrared beamthrough a window 8 to a receiver 7B to sense the presence of a user'shands in the vicinity of the dispenser. Control circuitry reacts to asignal from the proximity sensor to activate the pump. The illustratedsensor is a break beam sensor, but may also be a reflective sensor.Although an infrared sensor is shown, any known proximity sensor such asa capacitive sensor may be used.

The base unit 2 comprises a cowling 10 which forms a cup-shaped housingsurrounding a significant portion of the refill to protect and supportit. A spigot 11 projects through the base of the cowling 10 to displacea valve and allow fluid into the base unit 2 for dispensing.

A small spot of a taggant ink is applied to the bottom face of therefill unit (as shown in FIG. 2). Taggant inks are high security inksavailable, for example, from Sun Chemical Security, Gans Inc. or FlintGroup. In such an ink, the optics described below are also provided bythe ink provider as they form a complementary pair with the ink.

The refill unit is made from, for example, of polypropylene. This is atype of plastic with relatively low surface energy as determined by DIN533364 or ASTM D2578 test methods (approximately 29 Dyn/cm), whichcauses poor adhesion when an ink is printed on it. In order to enhancethe adhesion of an ink on polypropylene, its surface energy needs to beraised above that of the ink. For an organic solvent based ink, thesurface energy of the polypropylene surface should increase above 40-42Dyn/cm in order to achieve good adhesion. In addition, use of a highlycrosslinked ink will also enhance adhesion on polypropylene. High crosslinking may be achieved by using two part inks that consist of a baseink and a cross linking promoting additive.

As shown in FIG. 2, the base is provided with a blue LED 13. Next to theblue LED 13 is a sensor 14 covered by a filter 15 to cut-out lightreflected or scattered from the LED. In this case, the filter is orangeto cut out the blue light.

The combination of the LED 13, sensor 14 and filter 15 are containedwithin a housing 17 which has a window 18 through which the light istransmitted to and received from a small spot of taggant ink 12 locatedat the bottom face of the refill unit. The side of the housing 17 isformed as a separate part 19 to the remainder of the housing. The abovedescribed components are mounted on a circuit board 20 which is slidinto the housing which is then sealed by the side part 19 of thehousing. The circuit board has a plug 21 from which cables 22 extend viaa seal in the side part 19 of the housing.

When the refill 1 is inserted into the base unit, the position of therefill is fixed such that the two are precisely aligned so that thetaggant ink 12 faces the optics in the base unit preserving thearrangement shown in FIG. 2. The refill is fixed in the sense that itdoes not move with respect to the base during the dispensing operation.Before authentication, the dispenser may dispense once to prime thepump. In this position, light from the LED is incident on the taggantink 12. To calibrate the device to allow for ambient light, the LED isturned on and off. The “off” reading is then used by the controller tosubtract the ambient light reading from the signal from the sensor whenthe LED is on. The ink causes the wavelength of the light to be altered.The emitted light is then detected by the sensor 14.

Control circuitry then compares the signal received by the sensor 14with stored data representing a wavelength and/or intensity valueassociated with the fluorescent ink on an authentic refill. In the caseof taggant ink (also known as a tagged sensor ink), the signature for aparticular tagged sensor ink is initially determined by spectroscopicand mathematical analysis of the wavelength and/or intensity dataobtained on various samples that are printed on with the tagged sensorink. Subsequently, this signature is programmed into the controlcircuitry of the dispensing device. If the signals from sensor 14satisfy the test conditions that are represented by the storedsignature, the control circuit enables the operation of the dispensingmechanism. If the signal fails, the unit will repeat the process anumber of times before providing an error indication such as a flashinglight and it does not operate the dispensing mechanism. The light willflash for a short while and then the dispenser will return to a standbymode in which it will again attempt its authentication routine if theinfrared beam is broken.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides a secure glyph,an object or product with a secure glyph thereon, a method of producingthe object or product, an authenticating apparatus, a deviceincorporating the authenticating apparatus, a process for manufacturingthe device, a method for authorizing and/or allowing the use of theobject or product with the machine and thus a preventing or inhibitingthe use of an unauthorized/non authentic object or product and anauthentication method.

Attempts have been made to prevent the use of an unauthorized object orproduct by positioning an identifier, either on the object or productdirectly or on a substrate associated with the object or product such asa lid or label, which can be detected by the detector. Thus the use ofthe object or product is only permissible when the authentication readerrecognizes the identifier.

It had previously been thought that an identifier employing a Level 2security measure was unique and/or constituted trade secret informationand could not be hacked, copied or otherwise reproduced. However, aproblem arises when the identifier can be reproduced, even ifperiodically reconfigured or reformulated, to a required degree ofaccuracy to enable unauthorized producers, suppliers and/or dealers toposition the identifier onto a non authentic object or product to bedetected by a detector and thereby allow the use of the non authenticobject or product with a device.

Furthermore even if the identifier is the subject of patent protection,such as a unique taggant formulation, it is then difficult and veryinvolved to prove that anyone reproducing such a formulation is, infact, infringing the patent.

The present invention solves the above mentioned problem by employing asecure glyph having a machine readable feature and an intellectualproperty protected feature that can be employed to prove infringement ofthe intellectual property feature of the secure glyph and enable theowner of the intellectual property right to prove the counterfeiting orunauthorized copying or reproduction of the object or product.

Therefore unauthorized producers, suppliers and/or dealers attempting toreproduce the secure glyph are deterred from doing so given they wouldimmediately become liable for the unauthorized use of the intellectualproperty feature of the secure glyph and subject themselves tointellectual property infringement proceedings and the associatedremedies upon counterfeiting, copying or reproducing and/or using thesecure glyph.

Thus the present invention is capable of extending the life span of thesecurity protection measure, such as a taggant subject to utility patentprotection, afforded a trademark owner, given that in most cases,utility patent protection is limited to a 20 year lifespan, whereastrademark protection has an unlimited life. This particular aspect isadvantageous given that it is not uncommon for an object or product tohave a marketplace life span that exceeds the life span of any utilitypatent coverage for an object or product in the marketplace.

The term “glyph” as used herein defines an elemental symbol having adesign feature within an agreed set of symbols, intended to represent areadable (e.g. machine readable) feature for the purposes of writing andthereby expressing or conveying thoughts, ideas and concepts. Glyphs areconsidered to be unique marks that collectively can add up to thespelling of a word or otherwise contribute to a specific meaning of whatis written, with that meaning dependent on cultural, social and/orsocietal usage.

The term “secure glyph” as used herein defines an element that has anintellectual property protected feature and a machine readable feature.

Intellectual Property Protected Feature

The intellectual property protected feature is herein defined as afeature that is represented and protectable or is protected by, forexample, at least one intellectual property right, such as a trademark,trade secret, copyright or a registered design.

In particular, the intellectual property protected feature of the glyphmay, for example, be a copyrighted jingle that is immediately playedupon interrogation of the glyph by an authenticating apparatus.

The intellectual property protected feature is preferably recognizableby at least one unassisted human sense. Thus the intellectual propertyprotected feature may be visually recognizable with the human eye,audibly recognizable, olfactory recognizable and/or recognizable bytouch. When the intellectual property protected feature is recognizableby at least one unassisted human sense it is considered to be “overt”.Alternatively, recognition of the intellectual property protectedfeature may require the use of a detector when it cannot be recognizedby at least one unassisted human sense and is thus considered “covert”.The intellectual property protected feature may also comprise an overtand/or a covert portion.

In particular, the intellectual property protected feature could be aphrase or slogan that is protected by copyright, a scent, image ordesign protected by a trademark or a trade secret.

Usually, the intellectual property protected feature is recognizablewith the naked eye and preferably is the subject of a registeredtrademark.

Wherein the intellectual property protected feature is a trademark thesecure glyph is considered a “trademark glyph” which is a particulartype of secure glyph, specifically designed to be representative of aregistered trademark, trade name or logo, and that is, or is capable ofbeing, affixed or attached, printed or coated and/or incorporated intoan object or product requiring authentication.

The intellectual property protected feature and the machine readablefeature may each be recognized alone, or in combination or associationwith each other by an authenticating apparatus to determine authenticityof the secure glyph.

The intellectual property protected feature may be recognized by theauthentication reader based on its shape, geometry and/or symmetry.

In a particular embodiment of the invention at least one machinereadable feature is either positioned within the intellectual propertyprotectable feature, constitutes the entire intellectual propertyprotected feature or constitutes only a discrete portion or section ofthe intellectual property protected feature.

The machine readable feature of the secure glyph may also have an overtportion and/or a covert portion.

Secure Glyph

In a further embodiment of the present invention the entire secure glyphmay constitute an intellectual property protected feature which may beformed from a machine readable feature.

The secure glyph in its entirety may be invisible to the “naked eye”i.e. when both the intellectual property protected feature and themachine readable feature both only have covert portions or may bevisible to the “naked-eye” i.e. when either the intellectual propertyprotected feature and/or the machine readable feature have at least oneovert portion.

Furthermore the secure glyph may be any geometrical form or pattern suchas a mark, trademark, logo, character, alphanumeric, drawing, picture,semiotic, pictogram, hieroglyph, symbol, image, geometric object and/oran embossed or deformed area.

The secure glyph design typically has a sufficiently high degree ofrotational symmetry, also known as “n-fold rotational symmetry” suchthat the position of the secure glyph is not critical to itsrecognition.

Wherein the authentication reader is capable of reading only a singlepixel or very few pixels of information, then the secure glyph wouldrequire an infinite number of degrees of rotational symmetry, such as acircular dot or ring, whilst the authentication reader is capable ofreading 2 or 3 pixels could reliably recognize a regular hexagon, whichwould have six degrees of rotational symmetry.

Preferably, the secure glyph has at least 3 degrees of rotationalsymmetry, more preferably at least 4 degrees of symmetry andadvantageously at least 6 degrees of rotational symmetry.

Thus in one embodiment of the present invention the secure glyphcomprises a plurality of features of sufficiently high degree ofrotational symmetry such that one or all may be read by theauthentication reader.

Examples of secure glyphs having a regular polygonal shape are shown inFIGS. 7 and 8 whilst a secure glyph having a star shaped regularpolygonal shape is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Consequently a secure glyph shaped as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 can be readat a plurality of points regardless of orientation, whereas a secureglyph shaped as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 a positive recognition requiresthe correct orientation.

Alternatively the secure glyph may be designed so as to lack rotationalsymmetry. Secure glyphs lacking in rotational symmetry include: numbers,letters, words, marks, characters (including, but not limited to, thoseused to represent words in Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages),hieroglyphs (including those, for example, used to represent words inancient Egyptian), pictograms and the like.

Authentication Reader

In one embodiment of the present invention, the authentication readerwill read the entire secure glyph.

However, in an alternative embodiment the authentication reader willonly read certain points or sectors of the secure glyph and this allowsfor a greater expression in the design of the secure glyph and forreprogramming the authentication apparatus to sample different areas ofthe secure glyph, either in response to counterfeiting or in response toa change in the secure glyph or another readable security feature of thesecure glyph.

Advantageously, the secure glyph is provided with a means to normalizeits orientation, such as an orientation mark or symbol so that theauthentication reader recognizes the secure glyph in a consistentmanner.

This normalization can be accomplished by providing a further readerthat reads a fixed point, line or shape appearing at another location onthe object or product and providing a means to compute the relativeorientation and location of the secure glyph by coupling the readingstogether.

Furthermore, the secure glyph may consist of a physical structure thatexhibits different heights from the surface of the object or product, aso-called 3D effect and the reader detects the location of the secureglyph at varying heights above the surface of the object or product.

One non-limiting example of this embodiment is a concave mirror(circular, paraboloidal or elliptical) which, when interrogated withlight, will have the property of refocusing said light back to a pointor to a line. Another non-limiting embodiment is a microlens array thatwhen interrogated with light, particularly, but not limited to thevisible wavelength light, there will be a definite reflected pattern oflight that may be used both to authenticate and to visualize the secureglyph.

Machine Readable Feature

The machine readable feature is typically selected from upconverters,downconverters, infra-red radiation absorbers, quantum dots, RFIDantennae, fluorescent compositions, liquid crystals, electro-kineticmaterials, thermochromic materials, photochromic materials, piezochromicmaterials, sonochemicals, magnetic materials such as ferromagnetic,antiferromagnetic, ferrimagnetic, and paramagnetic materials,combinations of dyes or pigments readable by multispectral imaging,materials readable by Raman spectroscopy and combinations thereof.

Preferably, suitable machine readable features may be formed frommaterials such as fluorescent dyes, pigments, nano particles that arevisible or invisible in natural or room light, dyes such as silicon2,3-naphthalocyanine bis(trihexylsilyloxide), and/or other metalcomplexed naphthalocyanine compounds, and/or other cyanine,naphthocyanine or phthalocyanine dyes; glass encapsulated nanoparticlessuch as CdTe, CdSe, PbS, PbSe, InAs; phosphors such as YAG:Nd,Al.sub.2O.sub.3:Nd, and/or various other phosphor based IR activenanoparticles.

Advantageously, the machine readable feature is preferably made offluorescent taggant materials that produce an emission spectrum orsignal response when the secure glyph is exposed to a certain excitationsource, such as electromagnetic frequencies, e.g. X-ray, UV(Ultraviolet) light, visible light or IR (Infrared) light. The emissionspectrum may be in the UV, visible or IR spectral ranges.

The material or materials for the machine readable feature may beorganic or inorganic and may be a solid, such as a powder, a liquid,and/or a solid dissolved in a liquid or form a suspension or dispersionin a liquid. Each fluorescent taggant material will have its owncharacteristic excitation pattern and emission spectrum.

A combination of secure glyphs using different materials, in differentratios, having, for example, different characteristic excitationpatterns and emission spectrums, or the cascade of the emission spectrumof one secure glyph to excite the emission spectrum of a second secureglyph may also be used as the machine readable feature.

As a further example, a mixture of materials for the machine readablefeature may have the same or different excitation wavebands and thuswhen a mixture of taggant materials is used, not only are the individualemission peaks of each material considered, the whole spectrum profilefor that particular mixture is also important.

Thus, even for a single peak emission, emission amplitudes ofneighboring wavelengths may also be measured and taken into account. Inaddition, for some fluorescent taggant materials, employed in theinvention, the dynamic characteristics of the emission, such as theemission response time and decay time may also constitute a significantsecure glyph verification criteria.

Machine readable features of the secure glyphs that are covert, i.e.invisible to the naked-eye, include irreversible thermochromic orphotochromic taggant materials. These taggant materials are typicallyinterrogated by irradiation using a reader having a suitable andappropriate type of heat or light source that would render the secureglyph visible to the naked-eye due to a physical change in the state orproperty of the taggant material.

Typically, secure glyphs that are invisible to the naked-eye includeultraviolet-active photoinitiators. Together with anultraviolet-crosslinkable component incorporated therein these taggantmaterials, upon irradiation with a suitable and appropriate ultravioletlight source, become visible to the naked-eye as a result of thephotoinitiation and the change in the refractive index of the taggantmaterial.

Furthermore, secure glyphs that are invisible to the naked-eye and,interrogated by a reader singularly or in a plurality of ways or havingmore than one type of readable features, may be formed from rare earthoxides or sulfides. These taggant or other types of machine readablematerials, when interrogated by electromagnetic radiation display bothupconversion and downconversion readable properties. A non-limitingexample of a secure glyph displaying down conversion properties would bea combination of a colored pigment having unique spectralcharacteristics with a Raman-active secure glyph such as that describedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,610,351.

It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art thatincorporating a taggant material into a secure glyph that provides for achange in the reader visualization of the secure glyph duringinterrogation, need not be the sole security or authenticating featureoffered by the secure glyph.

The secure glyphs of the present invention may be interrogated by anauthentication reader in more than one manner, e.g. either as a singularsecure glyph or plurality of secure glyphs or by incorporating one ormore of the above-mentioned taggants into the secure glyph.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, there may be one ormore secure glyphs present on the object or product which may be thesame or different in their design or in the type of secure glyph orreadable security feature each possesses.

Furthermore at least one additional secure feature may be positioned onor in association with the object or product.

In particular the at least one additional secure feature may be a secondsecure glyph or it may be a secure feature interrogatable by the same ordifferent means as the first secure glyph. The additional secure featuremay be read by the same reader as the secure glyph or it may be read bya second device either remote from or integral to the first reader.

One advantage of this particular embodiment is that a counterfeiter ofthe secure glyph will not be able to use counterfeit object or productbecause the authenticating apparatus will still recognize the object orproduct as non-authentic. It will be appreciated that the authenticatingapparatus may be configured, under these circumstances either to overallreject the object or product as non-authentic, or to accept thevisualization of the counterfeited secure glyph, and so display thetrademark or other intellectual property comprised in the secure glyph.This would render the counterfeiter an unauthorized user of a trademarkor other intellectual property associated with the glyph.

Method for Producing Objects or Products

The present invention also provides an object or product with a secureglyph thereon and a method of producing the object or product.

The object or product is typically a beverage dispenser cup, a lid,cover or label.

The secure glyph may be incorporated into the object or product duringits manufacturing process by mixing a taggant material used to form themachine readable feature of the secure glyph into the raw materials ofthe object or product and thus the machine readable feature becomes anintegral part of the object or product.

In particular, when the taggant material used is a powder, it may bemixed with plastic beads, fillers or adhesives or incorporated intosubstrates such as textiles, woven fabric, non-woven fabric, threadfibers, cardboard, concrete, polymer, glass, wood, paper (includingcurrency, certificates, licenses, identification cards, and passports)metal, plastic, ceramic, cloth and leather.

Alternatively, the secure glyph may be embossed onto an object orproduct, or attached to the object or product with an adhesive.

Preferably the secure glyph is printed or coated onto the surface of anobject or product using a printing ink, paint, epoxy or lacquer.

A combination of the above-mentioned application techniques may beemployed.

Authentication

The present invention also provides an authenticating apparatus whichcomprises a database containing data that corresponds or is associatedwith a signal response generated from an authentic intellectual propertyprotected feature alone, or in combination with the machine readablefeature and an authentication reader.

Preferably, the authentication apparatus includes an output device andadvantageously a display unit.

The authentication reader comprises a signal generator capable ofgenerating a signal response from the intellectual property protectedfeature alone, or in combination with the machine readable feature, asignal response detector capable of receiving the signal response fromthe intellectual property protected feature alone, or in combinationwith the machine readable feature and a signal processing unit (SPU) forcomparing the signal response from the detector and the stored signalresponse in the database.

The authentication reader plays a critical role in the authenticationmethod, as it acquires information from the secure glyph and conducts ananalysis, based on the acquired information, to authenticate the objector product.

Advantageously, the acquired information may be stored in the databaseand may also be communicated e.g. via the internet to the brand owner ofthe object, or any other legitimate interested party. Furthermore theinformation obtained by the brand owner or other legitimate interestedparty may be analyzed and advantageously used to teach theauthenticating apparatus improved means of recognizing the authenticityof the secure glyph on the object or product.

Additionally, the acquired information may also be used to provide aresponse signal to a communication device associated with the user ofthe object or product, such as sending a text message via Bluetooth to asmartphone informing them of a prize they have won, or directing them toa website of particular interest.

In one particular embodiment of the invention the authentication readermay detect and recognize a signal response that is representative of theentire intellectual property protected feature of the secure glyph andthus the authentication reader is considered to be in possession of thesecure glyph and thus in possession of the intellectual propertyprotected feature as well.

This is the case, for example, wherein the machine readable feature ofthe secure glyph is, in itself, in the form of a trademark and when theauthentication reader reads the secure glyph it is also reading andusing the secure glyph as the trademark that appears on the object orproduct.

Alternatively, the authentication reader may detect and recognize asignal response that is associated with the intellectual propertyprotected feature and which is then compared with associated data (sucha signal response) in the database whereupon the entire intellectualproperty protected feature of the secure glyph is generated and thusonly the authentication apparatus as a whole is considered to be inpossession of the secure glyph and the intellectual property protectedfeature.

Advantageously, in both scenarios, the intellectual property protectedfeature can optionally be displayed on a display unit of theauthentication apparatus, which may be remote or local to the locationof the secure glyph itself.

The signal generator of the authentication reader includes an excitationsource that usually provides at least one light source such as a UVand/or an IR light source.

Furthermore the signal generator may include an excitation deliverysource, such as light optics, a focusing lens, color filters, reflectorsand optical fibers for optimized delivery to the detector.

The signal response detector of the authentication reader may include amultispectral image analyzer (hyperspectral image analyzer) capable ofanalyzing light from the visible and non-visible portions of theelectromagnetic spectrum.

Preferably, the multispectral analyzer is an RGB (red, green, blue)sensor, used to collect the RGB components of the signal response.

The RGB sensor has output channels for the R, G and B components and thetotal signal intensity (W) and provides the color of the signalresponses and the total signal intensity to indicate signalconcentration as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6. The sensor output caneither be in voltage, current or pulse frequency format.

Furthermore the RGB sensor provides for three progressive levels ofsecurity in the analysis of the RGB signal emission profiles namely, thewavelengths where the emission intensity peaks, the peak wavelengths andthe relative amplitudes of the peak emission intensity wavelengths andthe peak wavelengths of the relative intensity amplitudes at the peakwavelengths and amplitudes of the emission intensity at “all”wavelengths.

The emission intensities over the complete emission spectrum may bedigitized to form a bar graph where the amplitude and the width of eachbar is recorded and used for analysis of the signal response by the SPU.Where the complete emission spectrum for a secure glyph in the visiblerange is obtained, the emission color can also be calculated to serve asan additional authentication characteristic of the secure glyph. Inaddition, a fast response spectrometer can be set to be proportional tosignal emission intensities to give one more dimension to theauthentication algorithm.

Yet another layer of authentication protection may also be provided byusing a response time RGB sensor wherein one can record the responsetime (rise time and/or decay time) of the signal response and set it asanother authentication readable feature criteria. In such an embodiment,the database record would contain data for a particular secure glyph'sname-RGB values, intensity, decay time-product information.

When the secure glyph is visible to the naked-eye such as multi-coloredglyph, then the intensity of the color signals emitted from the secureglyph can also be used to identify the secure glyph. The reflected lightintensity will be proportional to the area of the secure glyph withinthe aperture of the reader. Thus using three or four colored sources,such as light emitting diodes, aimed at an area of the secure glyph, thefraction of the light sensed or read will be proportional to the area ofthe secure glyph printed in that color. Thus, the ratio of the R to G toB response signals will form a unique identifier for the secure glyph,without having to process the complete image of the secure glyph. Sucharea average identification could be defined during the design of thesecure glyph on a printing plate, for example, where the area or wherethe secure glyph or other secure materials placed on the object orproduct can be determined independently from the rest of the graphics onthe object or product as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a spectrometer is usedas the signal response detector to provide a high level of security. Theuse of such a high level detector would, for example, avoid the problemof metamerism. The signal response may have output signal intensity in awide range of wavelengths and a resolution ranging from severalnanometers to less than 1 nanometer. The use of a spectrometer alsoallows the complete emission spectrum profile to be obtained. Theselection of the spectrometer (over applicable wavelength range,sensitivity and resolution) will depend on the physical and chemicalproperties and features of the taggant materials used to form the secureglyph and the signal emission wavelengths required for authentication.

In an embodiment of the present invention where a spectrometer is used,the spectrometer can have a wavelength dispersive element, able todetect the complete response spectrum for the secure glyph. The dataoutput of the spectrometer can be in the form of the relativeintensities versus wavelengths, where the emission peaks are recordedand naturally become the fingerprint of the readable security featurefor the secure glyph.

In another embodiment of the invention provides object or productauthentication wherein the secure glyph is covert, for example, using aprinting ink, and generates a fluorescent signal response that resultsfrom being excited by an ultraviolet or infrared excitation source. Thesignal response generated will be in three different colors. Theauthentication reader will typically perform at least three differentspectral characteristics, either by nature (such as an LED beingconnected as photodiode) or by the addition of a color filter thatmatches the signal response of the fluorescent colorants used in thetaggant material to formulate the secure glyph.

The signal response detector is configured to send a signal response tothe SPU. After receiving the signal response, the SPU performs adiagnostic analysis and retrieves the related secure glyph property datafrom the database and compares this with the signal response receivedfrom the signal detector.

The results of the comparison are then typically sent to an outputdevice which allows the machine to function or prevents the machine fromfunctioning. Preferably the output device includes display unit whichprovides notification to a user of the result either audibly, preferablyvisually.

The analysis hardware and output device may be a desktop or notebookcomputer. Furthermore the output device may be a standalone mobileapplication device (field type), having analysis hardware, an SPU andassociated electronic circuitry. The output could appear on a smallliquid crystal display panel, or other type display. The database mayeither be built-in to the authenticating apparatus or be connected tothe apparatus via a wired or wireless means, such as the internet or anintranet.

The authenticating apparatus may also include one or more input devicesfor the user to input commands to direct or interact with theauthentication apparatus. The format for the data representing thesignal emission will depend on the signal emission detection deviceused.

The authentication reader may further generate an output, which can beconnected to an SPU configured for outputting the result of theauthentication, to a manufacturer or user of an article, object orproduct subject to the authentication. The reader may, for example, uponfailing to authenticate a trademark glyph affixed to an article, objector product, send a command to the authentication apparatus to cause the,object or product or a device using the article, object or product tocease functioning.

It will be appreciated that the value of this authentication readerfunctional aspect where a user of a counterfeit, object or product isattempting to force the use or acceptance of the counterfeit, object orproduct. The loss stemming from any failure to use the object or productor any article or device associated with the object or product can causea user to contact the manufacturer in order for the object, product,article or device to become functional again.

By such a means, the manufacturer of the object, product, article ordevice can limit counterfeiting and develop data on the counterfeiting.Thus the lock-out and reporting aspect for the authenticating apparatusand method of the present invention can be commercially valuable for inkjet cartridges, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, beverages and beverage andvending dispensing machines and many other industrial articles, itemsand machines of various types.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the authenticationreader may be designed to read and, optionally, visualize the secureglyph and additionally have the capability to read numerous pixels ofinformation thereby capturing the shape and orientation of the secureglyph.

The visualization could be provided by a miniature camera that is eithermonochrome, or full color. In one particular embodiment, where theentire geometric shape of the secure glyph is visible to the naked-eyeusing a camera, there is no requirement that the secure glyph bedesigned to have rotational symmetry. Furthermore the camera capturedimage can be rotated or processed using mathematical procedures andimage processing.

Additionally, another layer of authentication protection is gained whenthe total signal intensity of a signal response serves as an additionalverification criteria relating to the concentration of the taggantmaterial forming the secure glyph. Therefore, for a certain object orproduct, one may simply double such concentration to make a differencein the readable features of the secure glyph.

The present invention also provides a machine with the above mentionedauthenticating apparatus incorporated therein or associated therewith.

The machine could be an inkjet printer, a vending machine or a brewingmachine.

The present invention also provides a method for allowing for an objector product having a secure glyph thereon to be accepted and used for aspecific intended purpose in a machine associated with theauthenticating apparatus as herein described above.

The method involves using the authenticating apparatus incorporatedwithin or associated with a machine to detect and recognize theintellectual property protected feature alone, or in combination with atleast a portion of the machine readable feature on a secure glyph andsubsequently authorizing or allowing the intended use object or productin or with the machine.

Furthermore the method may include initially affixing or attaching thesecure glyph to the object or product, printing or coating the glyphonto the object or product and/or incorporating the glyph into theobject or product.

The present invention also provides a system for allowing a firstarticle to be used in combination with a second article comprising;

-   -   a) authenticating the first article with a glyph thereon by        detecting a characteristic feature of the glyph with a detector;        and    -   b) allowing the first article to be used in combination with the        second article.

Advantageously, the glyph is a secure glyph is herein defined above.

Finally, the present invention provides an authentication method fordetermining the authenticity of an object or product having a secureglyph thereon comprising:

affixing or attaching thereto, printing or coating thereon and/orincorporating therein onto the object or product a secure glyph havingan intellectual property protected feature; and a machine readablefeature having a covert, and optionally an overt portion; wherein saidintellectual property protected feature is recognized either alone as amachine readable feature; or recognized in combination with at least aportion being a machine readable feature; by an authenticating apparatusto determine authenticity;

subjecting the object or product with the secure glyph affixed to anauthenticating apparatus to determine authenticity having a databasecontaining associated data corresponding to a signal response from anintellectual property protected feature alone, or combination with amachine readable feature; and an authentication reader having: a signalgenerator capable of generating a signal response from an intellectualproperty protected feature alone or in combination with the machinereadable feature on the secure glyph; a signal response detector capableof receiving the signal response from the intellectual propertyprotected feature alone, or in combination with the machine readablefeature; and a signal processing unit (SPU) for comparing the signalresponse from the detector and the relevant associated data in thedatabase; and acknowledging the output from the authentication reader.

In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the object orproduct authentication includes applying or incorporating a secure glyphto the object or product; a database storing data related to the signalresponse properties of the secure glyph; and an authentication readerhaving a signal generating or excitation source for emitting a signaltowards the secure glyph for a signal emission or response detection bythe reader, and a signal processing unit (SPU) for analyzing the signalresponse and comparing the signal response with the data in the databaseas illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5, thereby verifying the identity andauthenticity of the object or product containing the secure glyph orhaving it applied thereto.

The information so obtained may further either remain stored in thedatabase or may be communicated, e.g. via the internet to the brandowner of the object. It is also a feature of this invention that theinformation so obtained by the brand owner may be analyzed and used toteach the reader device improved means of recognizing the authenticityof the secure glyph on the object. Another possibility is to program thereader device to seek a secondary authentication measure for the object.These features are of special utility when (a) a counterfeiter uses anauthentic object of the owner, containing an authentic secure glyph,where the reader and/or human have little reason to not believe thatobject and secure glyph are authentic, or (b) a counterfeiter produces aclose match to the secure glyph that might fool the reader and/or humaninto believing that the close match to said secure glyph is in factauthentic. By either of these means, false positives can be detected oravoided and the apparatus reading the secure glyph can be taught todifferentiate between forgeries and authentic secure glyphs or be taughtto reference some other information that has been input into the readerdevice to further enhance or improve its ability to recognize theauthenticity of secure glyphs and the objects containing them.

The information so obtained from the data base may also, in thisinstance, be conveyed to the police or to another local or governmentalsecurity organization, in order to apprehend counterfeiters anderadicate counterfeiting and unlawful uses and representation oftrademarks, trade names, copyrighted materials and other intellectualproperty.

If the readable feature of a trademark glyph for determining acounterfeit trademark that is used on or in association with an objector product is visible to the naked eye, trademark infringement could beestablished immediately by the owner of the object or product. If thereadable feature of the trademark glyph is hidden to invisible to thenaked eye, then a secondary exposure source would be required tovisualize the trademark glyph at some point during or throughout the useof the object or product. A hidden or invisible trademark glyph wouldadd yet another level of authentication security to an object orproduct, since it would not be immediately clear to the counterfeiterwhy their counterfeit object or product is being rejected andunacceptable, even though it would appear to look and function the same,and contain the same readable features as the authentic object orproduct. Also, a hidden or invisible trademark glyph would preferablynot impede the view or appearance of any other marketing or decorativedesign or advertising appearing on the object or product.

The important and distinct advantage the present invention provides, isthat the authentication apparatus is not only looking for the presenceof a naked-eye visible and reader visible feature of the secure glyphapplied on the object or product for authentication, but is alsosimultaneously or sequentially looking to visually identify andauthenticate the secure glyph itself as, for example, a trademark, tradename or logo, where such visual identification offers another level ofverification and authentication for the object or product.

In another embodiment, a secure or trademark glyph is hidden orinvisible and is subsequently visualized to the naked-eye by use of areader that interrogates the secure glyph and displays the trademarkglyph on a remote analog or digital display screen associated or part ofthe object or product. In this fashion, the trademark glyph is stillconnected with the object or product it is intended to represent andprovides for a secondary visual validation of the secure or trademarkglyph during the authentication of the object or product containing thetrademark glyph. Optionally, display of the secure or trademark glyphmay be accompanied by a validating, safety or advertising message orsignal, for example “authentic product” or “good to consume” or “cautionwhen handling hot beverages”, “call this number for a free sample” or acheck mark or smiley face, appearing on the display screen, inmonochrome or full color. Those of ordinary skill in the art willrealize that other messages, codes and signals, including those that mayrepresent monetary value, can be generated by using the secure ortrademark glyph of the present object and product authenticationapparatus. Further optionally, the display of a secure or trademarkglyph may be used following normal use of the object to verify theremains of said object in order to derive further value for the consumerof said object, for example by proving that the object qualifies for arebate or a gift.

In a further embodiment, the secure or trademark glyph is hidden orinvisible and printed on an interior surface of an object or product.For example, the interior surface of a laminated flexible packagingmaterial, wherein the assembly is substantially transparent through atleast one surface, to facilitate a means of interrogating the hidden orinvisible trademark glyph. Through at least the one transparent surface,that is also substantially transparent to visible radiation, a secure ortrademark glyph comprised of a fluorescent taggant material can besubjected to excitation at wavelengths of infra-red radiation that thesecure or trademark glyph absorbs. The secure or trademark glyph mayalso be applied as an adhesive, rather than a printing ink, on thesubstrate of the object or product in such fashion as to accuratelyrepresent the geometric design of the secure or trademark glyph.

The present invention has been described in detail, including thepreferred embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated thatthose skilled in the art, upon consideration of the present disclosure,may make modifications and/or improvements on this invention that fallwithin the scope and spirit of the invention. The following examplesillustrate specific aspects of the present invention and are notintended to limit the scope thereof in any respect and should not be soconstrued.

EXAMPLE 1 Authentication of an Overt Secure Glyph on an Object

A glyph for an object was provided having an n-fold rotational symmetryof 4 and which the intellectual property protected feature was visibleto the naked-eye by applying a printing ink or coating containing ataggant onto the object by known application methods.

The object was then interrogated by a handheld machine reader andauthentication conducted by both the naked-eye and the reader.

EXAMPLE 2 Authentication of a Covert Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph was provided having an n-fold rotational symmetry of 4and which was invisible to the naked-eye by applying a printing ink orcoating onto the lid of the single use beverage dispensing cup to createthe design and form of the trademark.

The beverage dispensing cup is inserted into a beverage dispensingmachine or brewer, where upon insertion, the trademark glyph becomesvisible to the naked-eye. The beverage dispensing cup is then subjectedinterrogation by an authentication apparatus incorporated within themachine and the trademark glyph is displayed a visual display on thedispensing machine.

Upon interrogation, the beverage dispensing cup is subjected toidentification and authentication by the machine reader and the processof using the beverage dispensing cup either continues or is halted basedon the results of the authentication for the trademark glyph appearingon the lid of the beverage dispensing cup.

Upon authorization of the trademark glyph, the beverage dispensercontinues its operation and a beverage is brewed and dispensed.

At the point where the authentication occurs and is verified, thetrademark glyph causes a trademark, logo or message to appear on thedisplay screen of the dispensing machine, and additionally a messagesuch as ‘ENJOY YOUR GENUINE BREW” or “AUTHENTICALLY BREWED” is alsodisplayed.

The trademark, logo or message continues to appear on the machine'sdisplay screen throughout the brewing and dispensing process untilcompletion. The spent brewing cup may then be taken to a secondauthentication center, where, upon presentation of said spent cup to asecond reader, a rebate or prize may be offered to the holder of thespent cup. Upon non-verification of the trademark glyph, the dispensingmachine does not brew or dispense a beverage and a message appears onthe display screen notifying the user. The unused counterfeit beveragedispensing cup is then either deposited in a repository, or otherwiseheld or rejected.

EXAMPLE 3 Authentication of an Overt Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph for an ink-jet cartridge for use in an ink-jet printerwas provided which was visible to the naked-eye. A printing ink orcoating containing a secure glyph is patterned deposited onto an ink-jetprinter cartridge to create the design and form of the trademark glyphusing a known application methods.

Trademark glyph design can be any shape because the ink-jet cartridgespreferably may only be inserted into the printer in one way, so theorientation of the cartridge is mandated by the printer.

The ink-jet cartridge is then inserted into a printer and subjected to ameans for interrogating the trademark glyph by a reader.

Upon interrogation of the trademark glyph, the ink-jet cartridge issubjected to identification and authentication by the reader and theprocess of using the ink-jet cartridge in the printer either continuesand accepts the ink from the cartridge or does not accept the ink andthe printer will not print.

Optionally, the printer may be further be disabled, either temporarilyor permanently until an authentic ink-jet cartridge has beenauthenticated by the reader. A further option could require that amessage be sent from the printer, for example, via the internet, or adigital or analog screen display, to alert the user or manufacturer ofthe printer about the non-verification.

EXAMPLE 4 Authentication of a Covert Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph for an ink-jet cartridge for use in an ink-jet printeris designed to be invisible to the naked-eye. A printing ink or coatingcontaining a secure glyph is patterned deposited onto an ink-jet printercartridge to create the design and form of the trademark glyph using aknown application method.

The trademark glyph design can be any shape because the ink-jetcartridges preferably may only be inserted into the printer one way, sothe orientation of the cartridge is mandated by the printer. The ink-jetcartridge is then inserted into a printer. Upon insertion into aprinter, the trademark glyph becomes visible to the naked eye and issubjected to a means for interrogating the trademark glyph by a reader,wherein the reader is a handheld, machine readable, or visual display,or a combination thereof.

Upon interrogation of the trademark glyph, the ink-jet cartridge issubjected to identification and authentication by the reader and theprocess of using the ink-jet cartridge in the printer either continuesand accepts the ink from the cartridge or does not accept the ink andthe printer will not print.

Optionally, the printer may be further be disabled, either temporarilyor permanently until an authentic ink-jet cartridge has beenauthenticated by the reader. A further option could require that amessage be sent from the printer, for example, via the internet, or adigital or analog screen display, to alert the user or manufacturer ofthe printer about the non-verification.

EXAMPLE 5 Authentication of an Overt Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph for a vending machine is provided to be visible to thenaked-eye. A printing ink or coating containing a secure glyph ispatterned deposited onto items found in the vending machine to createthe design and form of the trademark glyph using a known applicationmethods.

The trademark glyph may optionally be an integral part of the substratesmaking up the items found in the vending machine, including but notlimited to bottles, cans, candy, potato chips, chewing gum, etc.Preferred trademark glyph designs have n-fold rotational symmetrygreater than 3 and most preferably greater than 4 for ease ofreadability.

The items placed in the vending machine and, upon purchase, aresubjected to a means for interrogating or authenticating the itemsidentity by a reader wherein the readable feature is machine readable.

Upon verification of the trademark, preferably the vending machinedispenses the product. Upon non-verification of the trademark glyph,preferably the vending machine does not dispense the product and mayreturn any money paid for the product.

Optionally, the vending machine may be further disabled, eithertemporarily or permanently. Optionally, a message may be sent from thevending machine, for example, via the internet, to alert themanufacturer of the vending machine or the manufacturer of the dispensedgoods about the non-verification.

EXAMPLE 6 Authentication of an Overt Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph for a detergent pouch, such as a dishwasher or clotheswasher detergent pouch is designed to be visible to the naked-eye. Aprinting ink or coating containing a secure glyph is patterned depositedonto the pouch to create the design and form of the trademark glyphusing a known application methods.

Preferred trademark glyph designs have n-fold rotational symmetrygreater than 3 and most preferably greater than 4 for ease ofreadability.

The pouch is placed in the dishwasher or clothes washer and subjected toa means for interrogating or authenticating the pouches identity by areader wherein the readable feature is machine readable.

Upon verification of the trademark glyph, the washer uses the soapdispensed by the pouch and runs a cycle. Upon non-verification of thetrademark glyph, the washer does not use the soap dispensed by the pouchnor does it run a cycle.

Optionally, the washer may be further disabled, either temporarily orpermanently. Optionally, a message may be sent from the washer, via theinternet or to an analog or digital display screen to alert themanufacturer or user of the detergent pouch about the non-verification.

EXAMPLE 7 Authentication of a Covert Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph for a detergent pouch, preferably a dishwasher orclothes washer detergent pouch is designed to be invisible to thenaked-eye.

A printing ink or coating containing a secure glyph is patterneddeposited onto the pouch to create the design and form of the trademarkglyph using a known application methods.

Preferred trademark glyph designs have n-fold rotational symmetrygreater than 3 and most preferably greater than 4 for ease ofreadability. The pouch is placed in the dishwasher or clothes washer.

When the pouch is inserted into the dishwasher, the trademark glyphbecomes visible to the naked-eye and subjected to a means forinterrogating or authenticating the pouches identity by a reader whereinthe readable feature is machine readable.

Upon verification of the trademark glyph, the washer uses the soapdispensed by the pouch and runs a cycle. Upon non-verification of thetrademark glyph, the washer does not use the soap dispensed by the pouchnor does it run a cycle.

Optionally, the washer may be further disabled, either temporarily orpermanently. Optionally, a message may be sent from the washer, via theinternet or to an analog or digital display screen to alert themanufacturer or user of the detergent pouch about the non-verification.

EXAMPLE 8 Authentication of a Covert Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A trademark glyph for a pouch or capsule suitable for dispensing abiological fluid, vaccine, pharmaceutical or a medical preparation isprovided which is invisible to the naked-eye.

An adhesive composition containing a secure glyph is formulated andpatterned deposited, via spot coating, on a flexible substrate, forexample a polyester, to create a machine-readable trademark glyphfeature invisible to the naked eye.

A preferred trademark glyph design has n-fold rotational symmetrygreater than 3 and most preferably greater than 4 for ease ofreadability. The trademark glyph may optionally be an integral part ofthe substrate making up the flexible substrate.

The flexible substrate is then laminated to a second flexible substrate,for example a nylon, and the laminated sheet is then further fabricatedinto a pouch or capsule suitable for dispensing a biological fluid,vaccine, pharmaceutical or a medical preparation. The pouch in use isinserted into a dispenser, for example a medical inhaler or a syringeand is only capable of being punctured to yield up its contents uponauthentication of the trademark glyph by a reader in the dispenser.

Upon verification of the trademark glyph, the dispenser dispenses thebiological fluid, vaccine, pharmaceutical or medical preparation andupon non-verification of the trademark glyph, it disables the dispenser,either temporarily or permanently.

Optionally, a message may be sent from the dispenser, via the internetor to an analog or digital display screen to alert the manufacturer oruser of the dispenser about the non-verification.

Optionally, the dispenser is provided with a display screen so that amessage of authentication and any other valuable information derivablefrom the trademark glyph, for example the identity of a pharmaceuticaland its dosage, can be displayed upon authentication. Such a system maybe employed advantageously to authenticate, for example, the identity ofan orally dispensed polio vaccine.

EXAMPLE 9 Authentication of a Covert Trademark Glyph on an Object

A series of trademark glyphs for a vending machine are provided that arevisible to the naked-eye. A series of printing inks or coatingscontaining secure glyphs are patterned deposited onto the items found inthe vending machine to create the design and form of the two trademarkglyphs using a known application methods.

Each trademark glyph comprises at least one readable feature. Thetrademark glyphs may optionally be an integral part of the substratesmaking up the items found in the vending machine, including but notlimited to bottles, cans, candy, potato chips, chewing gum, etc.

Preferred trademark glyph designs have n-fold rotational symmetrygreater than 3 and most preferably greater than 4 for ease ofreadability. The items placed in the vending machine and, upon purchase,are subjected to a means for interrogating or authenticating the itemsidentity by a reader wherein the readable feature is machine readable.Said reader will read at least one secure feature on at least one of thetrademark glyphs. It may be programmed to read both trademark glyphs orone only of them, or may be programmed to read the first trademark glyphthen the other on a defined sequence of objects. Upon non-verificationof a trademark glyph, preferably the vending machine does not dispensethe product and may return any money paid for the product.

Optionally, the vending machine may be further disabled, eithertemporarily or permanently. Optionally, a message may be sent from thevending machine, for example, via the internet, to alert themanufacturer of the vending machine or the manufacturer of the dispensedgoods about the non-verification. Upon verification of the definednumber of trademark glyphs, preferably the vending machine dispenses theproduct. Upon non-verification of at least one of the trademark glyphs,preferably the vending machine does not dispense the product and mayoptionally return any money paid for the product. Optionally, thevending machine may be further disabled, either temporarily orpermanently. Optionally, a message may be sent from the vending machine,for example, via the internet, to alert the manufacturer of the vendingmachine or the manufacturer of the dispensed goods about thenon-verification.

EXAMPLE 10 Authentication of an Overt Trademark Glyph on an Object andUse with a Machine

A secure glyph, which also functions as a passive RFID (radio frequencyidentification) antenna is designed such that the intellectual propertyprotected feature is visible to the naked-eye and have an industrycommon geometric shape and configuration typically seen for a standardRFID antenna (shown in FIG. 11). The secure glyph, also carries thefunctionality of a passive RFID antenna. The secure glyph is applied toa substrate or object as a laminated structure of aluminum or copper.Alternately, the secure glyph is formulated from a silver or copperconductive material, printed in the geometric shape and configuration ona substrate or object then cured by a standard curing method. The secureglyph is capable emitting a signal response when interrogated by areader emitting radiation of, for example, a frequency of 13.56 MHz.Upon interrogation, the secure glyph and the object to which it isattached are authenticated by the reader. The output signal from thereader upon authenticating the secure glyph may, optionally, enable acopyrighted message, a trademark, or a trade name to display on ascreen, or enable copyrighted musical notes to be played by a deviceinteracting with the object to which the secure glyph is applied.

EXAMPLE 11 Production of a Trademark Glyph Containing an OvertIntellectual Property Protected Feature and a Covert Machine ReadableFeature

One embodiment of the present invention (shown in FIG. 14) provides aregistered trademark of the DIC Corporation of Tokyo Japan as a coloredtrademark glyph containing a light green colored area behind the letter“d”, a light blue colored area behind the letter “c” and a 2-colormixture that produces a medium blue-green area behind the letter “I”.

The spectral reflectance factors of the light green color (PMS 7487) andthe light blue color (PMS 298) over the visible portion of theelectromagnetic spectrum for the trademark glyph were recorded (see FIG.15). The spectral reflectance for the same two colors, overprinted withan ink containing fluorescent taggant (i.e. methylene blue) at lowconcentrations (so as not to markedly affect the two visual colors thatdownconverts, were also recorded (see FIG. 16). Each recording was madeusing an ISO 13655 compliant spectrodensitometer.

A small “blip” or upturn in the long wavelength tail of each color'sspectral curve can be observed. This is due to the emission of thecovert taggant machine readable portion of the trademark glyph and stemsfrom when the methylene blue dye is excited with a high intensity solidstate laser authenticating apparatus with a central frequency of 650 nm.

When the laser is not activated, the curves appear as they normallywould. When the laser is active additional radiance is emitted from theprint with the methylene blue dye and the long-wavelength “blip”signature is captured.

Finally, FIG. 17 shows the radiant emission as a second machine readablefeature of the trademark glyph when the spectrodensitometer source, asmeasured by the authenticating apparatus, is not activated wherein thelocation of the laser excitation being reflected and the methylene blueemission from an unprinted portion of the substrate can be clearly seen.Furthermore, two different thicknesses produce different emissionintensities as fluorescence which appears as a fairly linear process, asmeasured by the authentication apparatus.

The example shows that a trademark glyph, according to the presentinvention, can be printed on an object or product and thus allowing fora method to establish and verify that the trademark was printed and usedby an authorized supplier or user of the object or product.

While several possible embodiments are disclosed above, embodiments ofthe present invention are not so limited. These exemplary embodimentsare not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope ofthe invention, but instead were chosen and described in order to explainthe principles of the present invention so that others skilled in theart may practice the invention. Indeed, various modifications of theinvention in addition to those described herein will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Suchmodifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appendedclaims. Further, the terminology employed herein is used for the purposeof describing exemplary embodiments only and the terminology is notintended to be limiting since the scope of the various embodiments ofthe present invention will be limited only by the appended claims andequivalents thereof. The scope of the invention is therefore indicatedby the following claims, rather than the foregoing description andabove-discussed embodiments, and all changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalents thereof are intended to be embracedtherein.

All patents, applications, publications, test methods, literature, andother materials cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety as if physically present in this specification.

1. An authentication reader for authenticating a product having ataggant ink disposed upon a surface of the product, the readercomprising: a signal generator comprising an excitation source thatprovides a light source having a source wavelength or wavelengthsproducing a signal response from a taggant ink, wherein the signalresponse comprises a spectrum of intensity peaks at multiple wavelengthsand the multiple wavelengths are different from the source wavelength; asensor for receiving the signal response from the taggant ink; a filter,positioned between the signal generator and the sensor, for blocking thesource wavelength or wavelengths from the sensor; and control circuitrycoupled to the signal generator, the sensor and a database containingdata corresponding to signal responses associated with taggant ink,wherein the control circuitry compares the signal response with the dataof an expected signal response stored in the database to determine ifthe signal response matches an expected signal response in the database,and positively authenticate the product as authentic when the signalresponse matches the data.
 2. The reader of claim 1 wherein theauthentication reader is incorporated into a coffee brewer.
 3. Thereader of claim 1 wherein the taggant ink is printed with at least onefluorescent dye and wherein the fluorescent dye, when excited by theexcitation source, produces the spectrum of intensity peaks at multiplewavelengths.
 4. The reader of claim 1, wherein the taggant ink may be inthe form of a secure glyph having a geometric pattern.
 5. The reader ofclaim 4, wherein the secure glyph further comprises an intellectualproperty protected feature which comprises at least an overt feature ora covert feature.
 6. The reader of claim 5, further comprising adetector for detecting the intellectual property protected feature. 7.The reader of claim 4, wherein the secure glyph comprises a plurality ofmaterials with differing ratios and differing characteristic excitationpatterns.
 8. The reader of claim 1, wherein the taggant ink comprises amixture of a plurality of taggant materials, and the plurality oftaggant materials have different excitation wavebands.
 9. The reader ofclaim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a multispectral image analyzer formeasuring intensity at various wavelengths.
 10. The reader of claim 9,wherein the multispectral image analyzer is a red-green-blue (RGB)sensor which collects RGB components of the signal response.
 11. Adispenser having the ability to authenticate a beverage containing cupcomprising: a base unit for retaining a beverage containing cup having ataggant ink disposed upon a surface of the cup; an authentication readerfor authenticating a beverage containing cup comprising: (1) a signalgenerator comprising an excitation source that provides a light sourcehaving a source wavelength or wavelengths producing a signal responsefrom a taggant ink, wherein the signal response comprises a spectrum ofintensity peaks at multiple wavelengths and the multiple wavelengths aredifferent from the source wavelength; (2) a sensor for receiving thesignal response from the taggant ink; (3) a filter, positioned betweenthe signal generator and the sensor, for blocking the source wavelengthor wavelengths from the sensor; and (4) control circuitry coupled to thesignal generator, the sensor and a database containing datacorresponding to signal responses associated with taggant ink, whereinthe control circuitry compares the signal response with the data of anexpected signal response stored in the database to determine if thesignal response matches an expected signal response in the database, andpositively authenticate the beverage containing cup as authentic whenthe signal response matches the data; and a dispensing mechanism fordispensing a beverage via the beverage dispensing cup upon the beveragedispensing cup being authenticated.
 12. The dispenser of claim 11wherein the dispenser is a coffee brewer.
 13. The dispenser of claim 11wherein the taggant ink is printed with at least one fluorescent dye andwherein the fluorescent dye, when excited by the excitation source,produces the spectrum of intensity peaks at multiple wavelengths. 14.The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the taggant ink may be in the form ofa secure glyph having a geometric pattern.
 15. The dispenser of claim14, wherein the secure glyph further comprises an intellectual propertyprotected feature which comprises at least an overt feature or a covertfeature.
 16. The dispenser of claim 15, further comprising a detectorfor detecting the intellectual property protected feature.
 17. Thedispenser of claim 14, wherein the secure glyph comprises a plurality ofmaterials with differing ratios and differing characteristic excitationpatterns.
 18. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the taggant inkcomprises a mixture of a plurality of taggant materials, and theplurality of taggant materials have different excitation wavebands. 19.The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises a multispectralimage analyzer for measuring intensity at various wavelengths.
 20. Thedispenser of claim 19, wherein the multispectral image analyzer is ared-green-blue (RGB) sensor which collects RGB components of the signalresponse.